Glorious Man
by Sylly51
Summary: BABY FIC! Our favorite Saiyuki Boys come across an innocent baby boy, who is a half-breed...or so they think. What will they do with a baby while in their current situation? Will they keep him or leave him?
1. Just A Normal Day

_**Glorious Man**_

**A/N****: **Hey, fanfic readers! I whipped up this fanfic simply because there aren't enough like it. I, personally, love fics with babies in them, so I decided to make my own! So, without further ado, I give you chapter one of _Glorious Man_.

It was a typical day for the Sanzo-ikkou. Just another day on the road after leaving another inn to keep heading west. Then, the inevitable happened…

"I'm hungry! Hakkai, when are we getting to the next town?" Goku whined.

"How are you hungry? We just ate breakfast an hour ago!" Gojyo yelled.

"How 'bout going without food for 500 years and answer your own question, stupid kappa cockroach!"

"What'd you just say, baka saru?"

"You heard me! And if you didn't, try adjusting those antennae of yours to get a better signal, you pervy kappa!"

"These aren't antennae, you idiotic primate!"

"Shut up!" said Sanzo as he pointed the gun at them. The only thing that stopped him from shooting was the fact that they were driving in Hakuryuu. Sanzo was a great shot, but he didn't want to chance missing and hurting the dragon instead of one of the morons in the back. Not only would he harm an innocent, they wouldn't be able to travel and he'd have to deal with a pissed of Hakkai. No one wanted to be on Hakkai's bad side.

"When are we getting to the next town, Hakkai?" asked Sanzo.

"Well, according to the map, we won't reach a town until tomorrow. We're going to have to camp out tonight"

"Great, a foodless night under the stars." Gojyo said sarcastically.

"WHAT? Hakkai, tell me he's lyin'!" yelled Goku.

"Umm, we didn't really get a lot of supplies in the last town, so Gojyo's right." Hakkai said with a chuckle. Of course, they had food, but he didn't want to ruin Gojyo's joke.

"How can you laugh at a time like this? I'm hungry and I'm gonna starve to death!"

"That's not gonna happen." Gojyo said calmly.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm not that lucky. I've been wishing for that to happen for a long time and it hasn't happened yet."

"Whaddaya mean by that, cockroach?"

"What do you think I meant by that, monkey?"

"That's it, I'm taking him out! Pull over!"

"I'd like to see you try, dumb ape!"

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO SHUT UP?" yelled Sanzo as he brought the wrath of the paper fan down on their heads.

"Damn it, that hurt, you stupid monk!"

"That's the point, moron."

"Ow. Ya didn't hafta hit so hard" mumbled Goku.

"It's nice to see you three getting along so well," Hakkai said with his usual smile. "The sun is about to set. Luckily we're coming up to a forest now. We need to find a clearing and set up camp quickly before it gets too dark to see. Oh, by the way, we have plenty of food to last until we reach the next town."

"Awesome! Wait…you said we didn't have food! Why'd you lie to me like that?" whined Goku.

"I was just kidding, Goku."

"Not cool, Hakkai."

"My apologies, Goku. How about a nice stew as a peace offering?"

"Okay!"

The Sanzo-ikkou drove up to the forest and hopped out of the jeep, allowing it to transform into the little white dragon. Hakuryuu perched himself on Hakkai's shoulder and they began to look for a clearing. After ten minutes of walking, they came across a spot that was decent enough to sleep for the night.

"This seems like a good spot. Gojyo, Goku, help me put up the tents." said Hakkai.

"How come "His Holiness" doesn't hafta help?" asked Gojyo.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, asshole. Besides, I don't have to do anything. That's what you three are for."

"Oh no. I just so happened to hurt my wrists. I'm afraid I can't help you put up the tents, Hakkai. Maybe the monk can help." Gojyo said sarcastically.

"Maybe that act would be more realistic if you had some real injuries. Let's test it out." Sanzo said dryly as pointed his gun at Gojyo's head.

"No thanks. They feel better. It's a miracle!" Gojyo said as he helped put up his and Hakkai's tent. Goku was forced to put up his and Sanzo's tent since it was obvious that Sanzo wasn't going to do anything to help them set up camp. After everything was set up, someone had to get firewood and water.

"Sanzo, would you be so kind as to get some firewood so I can start dinner?" Hakkai asked politely.

"Why? I see two morons that can do the job."

"Yes, but they put up the tents."

"Your point?"

"Get off your lazy ass and get some damn firewood!" Gojyo piped in. Sanzo clicked the safety off of his Smith & Wesson. "Wanna repeat that, kappa?"

"I'm afraid I agree with Gojyo, Sanzo. Well, not exactly in those words, but it isn't fair that they have to do all the work."

"No." Sanzo answered.

"Aww, c'mon, Sanzo! I'm really, really hungry and Hakkai needs firewood to cook!" Goku said with a pout.

"I said 'no', damn it!"

"Fine. Gojyo, would you please get some firewood? Goku might not last much longer without food."

Gojyo wanted to argue, but Hakkai gave him a creepy smile as if to say, "NOW, please." So instead, he followed Hakkai's order and mumbled something about "lazy priests". Sanzo smirked as he thought that he won the firewood argument.

"Someone still has to find a river to get some water and since Gojyo is out getting firewood, Goku put up your tent, and I'm making dinner, that leaves you, Sanzo."

Sanzo scowled. "You set that up on purpose, didn't you?"

"Why, Sanzo, what ever do you mean?" Hakkai asked with mock innocence.

"Bastard. Come on, Goku." said Sanzo as he stormed off.

"Hey, Sanzo, wait up!" Goku called, scrambling after him.

Hakkai smiled at his triumph as he unpacked the necessary utensils. Gojyo came back with an armful of firewood minutes later.

"Where's the monk and the monkey?"

"Getting water for the stew."

"You actually got the prissy priest to do work? I gotta say, 'Kai, that's impressive." Gojyo said as he put a cigarette to his lips and lit it.

"Thanks. I thought so too." Hakkai said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile in the woods, "Hey, Sanzo, wait up! You're leaving me!" Goku yelled.

"I want to get this over with, so hurry up! I thought you were 'so hungry'"

"I am, but you are walking too fast!"

"Look, there's a river over there. Go fill up this canteen." said Sanzo as he handed Goku the canteen.

"'Kay, Sanzo!" said the chimp as he ran over to the river. Sanzo heard voices nearby. He sensed a demonic aura, but it wasn't dangerous or evil like Gyumaoh's assassins. He walked toward where he heard the faint sound of voices. He discovered a couple talking. The woman was a human and the man was a youkai. Sanzo was shocked by the fact that the youkai, despite not having a power limiter on, was completely sane. After a moment, Sanzo decided to leave the couple alone. Their forbidden love affair was none of his business. Sanzo walked back to where he left Goku and found the chimp with a frantic look in his eyes before they returned back to normal.

"Hey, where'd ya go?"

"To take a piss. What's it to you?"

"Nothin', but the next time you gotta go, let me know. That way I don't think you got kidnapped or somethin'."

"I didn't know I had to ask permission to use the bathroom."

"I didn't mean it like that-"

"Whatever. Let's go. Hakkai's waiting."

"Yeah, let's hurry up. I'm starvin'!"

**A/N****: **Slow going so far, I know, but I'm taking my time to introduce my characters and show what happens. So please bear with me and I'll try to make this good. Please continue reading and be kind with the reviews. Thank you


	2. Child of the Spring and Taboo

_**Chapter 2**_

**A/****N: **This chapter will be all about the child's parents. Enjoy!

"I think we're far enough now," panted Hiroshi.

"I'm tired of doing this. I don't want to run for the rest of my life." said his girlfriend, Kimi. They have been a couple for two years and kept their love a secret. However, that ended a month ago when Takara's mother found them being rather intimate in Kimi's bedroom. Her mother became hysterical when she found out that she was pregnant and told her that she was no longer allowed to see Hiroshi. Since then, Kimi put up with the physical and verbal abuse from her mother.

"_**You slut! How could you sleep with a monster, knowing that his kind killed your father? The moment you give birth to that abomination, you and I will kill it and pray to the Merciful Goddess for forgiveness!"**_

Kimi knew she couldn't stay to long. Her stomach was getting bigger and her mother grew impatient to kill her unborn child, which became obvious when her painful treatment was directed toward her stomach, rather than her face. When Kimi was nine months pregnant, she packed a small bag and left at dusk to meet Hiroshi. Both Hiroshi and Kimi became outcasts in their town. Even the villagers were trying to kill them; Hiroshi for being a youkai and Kimi for the hanyou child growing inside of her. So they ran and hid in the woods for Kimi to give birth to a baby boy, whom they named Haru since he was born in the spring. That was six months ago. They could never return to their town, so they traveled east on foot. However, neither of them had money and had to steal in order to feed themselves, which landed them in their current situation; running from angry shop owners.

"I know we can't do this forever, but until we can come up with a plan, we don't have much of a choice." Hiroshi informed. Kimi laid down a blanket and sat down with her sleeping son. His peaceful face always gave her a reason to smile. Hiroshi was about to accompany her on the blanket when he sensed something. "Youkai…" said Hiroshi.

"Here? Now?"

"Yes. You have to go now."

"But-"

"Now!"

Kimi quickly got up and ran as fast as her legs could take her, waking the baby with the sudden movement. Hiroshi took a fighting stance. Three youkai walked from the trees.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" said the assumed leader of the three. He had short, spiky hair, olive green skin, and bright green eyes.

"From the sweet smell of fear in the air, I say someone's missing from the party," said the youkai to the right of the olive green one. He had purple skin, blue eyes, and long, blue hair.

"I say we should pay the little human a visit," said the grey-skinned youkai with black eyes and black hair to the left of the leader.

"Don't you dare," Hiroshi said with a snarl, "What do you want from us?"

"Well," said the assumed leader, "We don't take to kindly to youkai that turn against their own race to be with humans."

"So? What's it to you? Why do you care?" asked Hiroshi.

"Care? I don't care. To be quite honest, I just want a snack and your little runaway girlfriend smells sweet enough to eat." The leader answered.

"Well, if you want to get her, you'll have to kill me first."

"My pleasure, traitor."

Meanwhile, Kimi ran until she couldn't run anymore. Her heart was racing and her mind was reeling. Haru continued to cry in her arms.

"Shh. It'll be okay, Haru. Please stop crying." she pleaded. However, Haru kept crying. Kimi was getting worried about Hiroshi. He hasn't come back for them yet. Kimi decided to keep running just in case the youkai heard Haru crying.

"Damn it!" yelled Rikio, the purple-skinned youkai looking at the rather large gash across his chest. "That bastard cut me real good with that damn knife of his."

"He _was _a youkai. He was powerful even without that knife. Luckily, there were three of us or else he most likely would have killed us." said Torao, the olive-skinned youkai.

"Yeah. You know what they say, there's strength in numbers." said Zoki, the grey-skinned youkai. "I gotta admit though, he was a tough one and that knife he had hidden in his boot was kinda cool. I'm gonna hold on to it."

"Whatever. Our snack is getting away. We should get going if we want to catch her." said Torao. They ran into the woods, allowing the sweet aroma of fear guide them to the runaway human, until they heard the sound of a child crying.

"Wait, she has a kid with her?" asked Rikio.

"Yeah, but who cares? More food for us." said Zoki. They ran with lightning speed to find the tasty humans and caught up with the Kimi.

"Where do you think _you're_ going, my delicious little meal?"…

**A/N****:** I know this chapter was a little short, but I just wanted you readers to know my characters instead of them being killed from the gecko. So please be kind with the reviews and I hope you keep reading


	3. Not So Normal Day

_**Chapter 3**_

Kimi stopped dead in her tracks as a purple-skinned youkai appeared before her.

"Where do you think _you're _going my delicious little meal?" he said with a wide grin. Kimi backed away and tried running again, but came to yet another stop as a gray-skinned youkai appeared.

"What's your hurry, babe?" he said with a leer.

"What do you want?" she said as she backed away from the two youkai that were walking toward her.

"Lunch," stated the olive- skinned youkai from behind her. "You smell delectable. However, I'm not too keen on eating a mutt. How about you guys?"

"Nah. The fact that it has youkai blood in it, would make us cannibals." said Zoki

"Yeah, but I don't think we should let that thing live either. We don't have to eat it. Let's just kill it." stated Rikio.

"Fine by me. As for you, delicious," said Torao, showing his fangs, "you belong to us now."

Before she could do anything, Torao sunk his fangs into Kimi's neck while Zoki and Rikio bit into each of her arms. Kimi let out a pained scream as her vision faded to black.

Earlier that day, Hakkai awoke and found Gojyo's sleeping bag empty. Usually, Hakkai was the first wake up in the morning, so he knew something was amiss. He left the tent and found Gojyo leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette.

"Good morning, Gojyo," he said with his ever present smile. "You're up early."

"Yeah," replied Gojyo as he exhaled the smoke from his lungs and watched it disappear into the air. "I don't know why. I kinda had a strange urge to get up early today."

"Maybe you're used to Sanzo's early schedule."

"Maybe."

"Is something troubling you, Gojyo?" Hakkai asked while searching through their pack for food to make for breakfast.

"I don't know. I feel anxious, like something's gonna happen. It's weird." answered Gojyo as he stubbed out his cigarette.

"A youkai attack, perhaps?"

"No, nothing like that. I can't explain it."

"Well, we can talk more about it when we reach an inn. If we hurry, we could reach the next town before sunset."

"Cool. Maybe I just need some booze and babes to make me feel better."

"You know, Gojyo, women, beer, and cigarettes aren't the answer to everything. In fact, they do more harm than good"

"They solve all my problems."

"Did they solve your problems when you caught sexually transmitted diseases?"

"Hey! That only happened twice! Don't you have to wake up the monk and his monkey?" Gojyo said with a scowl. How dare he bring that up!

Hakkai chuckled to himself as he walked to Sanzo and Goku's tent. Now that that incident was over, it was a funny memory.

'_**Damn it, Hakkai! It hurts like Hell!'**_

'_**Gojyo, hold still! The doctor can't help you if you're flailing about.'**_

'_**It burns!'**_

'_**Well, I hope you learned a valuable lesson today.'**_

'_**Stop sounding like you're enjoying my pain, you bastard!'**_

'_**Gojyo-san, please refrain from moving. Now, this may hurt but-'**_

'_**That needle is freakin' huge! Hakkai, get me out of here!'**_

Hakkai peered into Sanzo and Goku's tent and found Goku still sleeping while Sanzo was getting dressed.

"Good morning, Sanzo. Did you sleep well?"

"How could I sleep with that monkey mumbling about 'precious meat buns' the whole night?" he answered as he kicked Goku. "Wake the Hell up, baka!"

"Mmm… food…"

"Allow me to try, Sanzo." Hakkai said with his cheery smile. He bent down to Goku's ear. "Goku, if you don't wake up, Gojyo will eat all the food."

Before Hakkai could stand back up, Goku's eyes snapped open and he raced out of the tent screaming, "You better not eat all the food, you stupid kappa!"

After breakfast, the ikkou packed their supplies and climbed into Jeep. Gojyo stuck a cigarette in his mouth and groped around for his lighter and realized he left it at the campsite.

"Hold on, Hakkai! I left my lighter."

"Ok. We'll wait."

"Hurry up, kappa. We don't have all day." added Sanzo.

Gojyo hopped out of Jeep and spotted his trusty lighter by the ashes left by the firewood. "I would've been pissed if I left you," he said as he picked it up. He turned to head back to the others, but just then, he heard a piercing scream from another part of the woods. Without hesitation, Gojyo darted to where he thought the scream had come from.

"What the Hell is he doing?" asked Sanzo.

"I don't know, but we better go follow him. Hakuryuu, please stay here." said Hakkai as he and the others got out and ran after Gojyo.

Gojyo came to a halt as he saw three demons, casually eating a woman. He knew it was too late to save her. Even if it had been Hakkai who ran and got here first, it still would've been too late.

"Damn. We could've had a little bit more fun with her before we killed her." said Rikio mournfully.

"So, Torao, how're we gonna kill the baby mutt?" asked Zoki, ignoring his companion's last statement.

"I don't care. Just make it quick."

As soon as the gray-skinned youkai lifted his shoe to stomp the infant's head in, a crescent blade severed his leg off. With a howl of pain, the youkai fell over and clutched at his lack of leg in a futile attempted to slow the bleeding. He would bleed out before too long.

"What the Hell?" said Torao and Rikio in unison. They turned their heads toward the direction of which the crescent had come from and saw a tall hanyou, which despite his fiery colored eyes held the iciest of glares.

"Who the Hell are you?" asked Rikio.

"Sorry. Only hot girls and potential friends have the privilege of knowing my name." replied Gojyo as he whipped the crescent blade toward them with a simple flick of the wrist, decapitating them both.

The rest of the ikkou came to a sudden halt as they see the grizzly scene before them. There was a body, a female, with multiple bite marks and missing flesh from various places of her body. A few feet away, lay two headless youkai bodies; one olive and one purple. A few inches to the right, the heads are spotted, with their mouths and eyes open. It looked as though they were about to plead for their lives, but the blade got to their throats before the words could. A bit further to the right, was a gray youkai who appeared to be missing a leg and slowly dying a painful death. His breathing is labored and tears fill the corners of his eyes, but he refuses to open them. A few inches beside him, is Gojyo, holding something wrapped in a bloody blanket.

"Gojyo, are you alright?" asked Hakkai, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied flatly, not looking at them, but at the thing in the blanket.

"What are you holding?" asked Goku. Without saying anything, Gojyo turned to face them a revealed an infant hanyou. Things started to lock into place for Sanzo as he recognized the dead female from the day before. He hadn't realized that there was a child with the couple until now.

"Is the baby okay? It's covered in blood!" Hakkai said worriedly.

"None of it is his. I stopped them before they killed him, but I was too late to save her." said Gojyo with a somber expression. Hakkai walked to his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, not knowing what to say, but hoping that his gesture said it all.

"I want to bury her. It's only right." said Gojyo.

"Of course," said Hakkai. "I'll help too."

"No," replied Gojyo firmly. "I want to this by myself. Besides, you don't have a shovel or anything even remotely close to it."

"That is true. Okay, Gojyo, we'll meet you back with Hakuryuu when you're done."

"We don't have time for this. Did you forget the reason why were here? We're on a mission, damn it!" said Sanzo. However, Hakkai gave him a cold glare that could freeze mercury. Sanzo knew that Hakkai wouldn't leave without Gojyo and Hakuryuu wouldn't leave without Hakkai's permission.

"'Ch. Let's go."

With one last look back, Hakkai followed Sanzo and Goku back to Hakuryuu. Once alone, Gojyo set down the infant and began to dig a grave with the end of his weapon.

"I guess us half-breeds aren't meant to have mothers," said Gojyo to the child. "It isn't fair… Damn, life sucks."

The child only stared at him as if contemplating his words.

"I'm glad I was able to save you, but I wish I could've saved your mother too. There's not enough people in the world that love people like us. I had this weird feeling all morning, but I didn't know what it was... I guess I know now."

When Gojyo finished digging the grave, he hoisted the infant's mother and placed her into the hole. With an apology, he began to cover her with the up turned soil. He picked the child back up and made him wave a final goodbye to his mother and walked back to where the jeep was.

"It's about time, you damn kappa," said Sanzo with much venom in his voice. "We lost a hell of a lot of time. Hakkai, how long will it take for us to reach the next town?"

"We should get there sometime tonight, if we hurry."

Gojyo climbed into Jeep and held the child tightly as Hakkai began to accelerate.

"Hey," exclaimed Goku, "what are we gonna name him?"

"We won't. He's only going to the next town with us so we can find an orphanage for him." said Sanzo.

"No." said Gojyo with vehemence, "I'm not giving him up."

"He's a liability and he'll only get in the way. We're giving him up." said Sanzo.

"No, damn it!" exclaimed Gojyo. He couldn't leave the child with an orphanage, knowing how children of taboo get treated.

"Gojyo, be reasonable and listen to what Sanzo is saying. The child can't defend himself and if assassins find out about him, they'll try to hurt you by hurting him. We'll only be putting him in danger if we bring him along." reasoned Hakkai.

"I'll protect him," replied Gojyo with determination, "No one will hurt him. They'll have to kill me first and I don't plan on dyin' anytime soon."

**A/N****: **And that's all for chapter three! I hope you enjoyed reading


	4. Sha Akio

It had been a quiet ride in Jeep. Because Gojyo was so taken with the infant, he paid no mind to Goku. Goku, being considerate of the sleeping child, didn't even try to pick a fight with Gojyo. It was peaceful…and also boring. Hakkai only plastered a smile on his face, not wanting to talk to Sanzo at the moment. Sanzo was a bit irritable due to the lack of fan wielding and was hoping for an argument. Goku was very hungry, but was afraid to break the silence. He occasionally saw Sanzo's hand twitching, which meant he wanted to use his fan badly. Gojyo just held the child close and continuously stroked his hair. There was no way he would leave this child with anyone else. The first thing he wanted to do was get to an inn so he could clean the kid up and get Hakkai to go shopping for him. It was sad that the kid was less than a year old and had already been sprayed with youkai blood. Maybe cutting off the youkai's leg while it was hovering over the baby wasn't the best idea, but it was the first thing he thought of. It was a quarter to midnight when the ikkou finally arrived at an inn. They approached the desk clerk and Hakkai greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Miss, we would like four singles, please." Hakkai said politely.

"Okay, please sign in, but we don't have four singles. We only have two rooms available sir." The desk clerk said apologetically.

"That's okay, Miss," Hakkai said with a charming smile. "We'll take them."

"Your rooms are down the hall to the right" said the clerk as she gave them their room keys.

"Thank you." said Hakkai with another bright smile.

She smiled back and watched them leave.

"Okay now who is rooming with who?" asked Goku.

"I'm rooming with Hakkai." said Gojyo.

"No, I am. You're going to have to put up with the monkey tonight." argued Sanzo.

"There's no way the kid is going to be able to sleep through the night with the monkey's snoring."

"He has a point there." added Hakkai. He wanted to room with Gojyo anyway. He hoped to talk some sense into the hanyou before things got out of hand between him and Sanzo.

"C'mon, Sanzo, I don't wanna room with Gojyo! He draws on my feet while I sleep!" shouted Goku, who threw in a pout for good measure. With an annoyed growl, the priest surrendered and grabbed Goku by his cape.

"Let's go, monkey." he said as he stalked off into his room.

* * *

><p>Gojyo and Hakkai walked into their room. It wasn't the best hotel room they ever had, but it was cozy. The beds looked decent enough and it was well furnished. While Hakkai unpacked his night clothes, Gojyo stripped the infant of his bloodied clothes and wrapped him in a towel he found in the bathroom. He laid the child on the bed and gathered the clothes to wash them in the sink. Hakkai contemplated on how he was going to approach the subject of giving up the child. He never seen Gojyo so determined before. After he changed into his night clothes, Hakkai appeared in the bathroom doorway.<p>

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is still 'no'." said Gojyo without so much as a glance in Hakkai's direction.

"But, Gojyo, how do you expect to care for a child in our current situation? This is not a proper environment to raise a child."

"I know, but I can't give him up. There aren't enough people in the world that are willing to take care of people like us, Hakkai. You know that. I'll figure something out."

"Gojyo, you're not being reasonable-"

"When am I ever?" replied Gojyo.

"We have to place him in an orphanage, Gojyo. We can't keep him."

"I thought you of all people would understand that placing a child of taboo in an orphanage isn't a great idea."

"And I thought _you_ of all people would understand that having a defenseless child on board in the midst of a minus wave isn't a great idea." Hakkai said in a rather annoyed tone. He had no idea his friend would be so stubborn about this.

"Look, 'Kai, I'm tired and I don't feel like talking about this right now." said Gojyo as he finished scrubbing the blood out of the clothes and hung them on the towel rack.

"Fine. We'll talk about it in the morning, but you better figure out what it is you're going to do before Sanzo decides to leave you behind."

"You guys already tried that once. From what I heard, I was severely missed." said Gojyo with a grin.

"Be careful, or else we'll have to show you just how much we miss you again. Just like last time." Hakkai said with a deadly smile. Gojyo shuddered at the memory of getting beaten up at Kami-Sama's castle. He and Hakkai walked out of the bathroom and got into their beds. Gojyo was careful not to wake the child as he climbed into bed.

"Goodnight, Gojyo."

"'Night, 'Kai."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Sanzo, what are we going to do about the baby?" asked Goku for the sixth time. Sanzo seemed pretty focused on trying to tune him out. In the end, he got annoyed and hit Goku over the head with his fan and continued to smoke.<p>

"C'mon, Sanzo, answer me!"

"I don't know, but that damned kappa better figure it out soon." Sanzo answered finally.

"Or else, what?"

"We'll leave his ass behind. Plain and simple."

"But you guys argued and were scary when we left Gojyo with Kami-Sama!"

"If that kappa wants to be a father all of a sudden, he can go ahead, but I won't allow him to slow us down." said Sanzo as he continued to smoke his cigarette by the window sill. He couldn't blame Gojyo for his stubbornness about leaving the child with anyone else. Some people don't know what red hair and eyes mean, but a lot of people do. He knows it would be difficult to find any place, home or orphanage, to accept a child of mixed heritage, but he couldn't let Gojyo bring him along on the journey. When Goku realized Sanzo wasn't going to talk anymore, he climbed into bed and thought about different names for the new baby.

* * *

><p>It was 3 o'clock in the morning when the child started to scream and cry. Gojyo and Hakkai awoke to the noise abruptly.<p>

"What's wrong with him, Hakkai?" shouted Gojyo.

"I don't know! Perhaps he needs his diaper changed?" Hakkai shouted back as he tried to be heard over the screaming child.

"I hope not! We don't have any diapers and there aren't any shops open!"

"Maybe you should check, just in case!"

"Why do _I_ have to do it?"

"Because you're already holding him!"

Gojyo peeked inside the child's diaper and was happy to see that it wasn't full.

"There's nothing in there!" shouted Gojyo as he tried to calm the baby down.

"Then maybe he's hungry!" shouted Hakkai.

"Well, last time I checked, none of us has a set of jugs he can suck on!"

"How can you be so vulgar at a time like this?"

"I don't know, but make him stop!"

"What the Hell is going on in here!" shouted Sanzo as he barged into Hakkai and Gojyo's room.

"We think he's hungry!" shouted Hakkai to Sanzo.

"So get him some food!" Sanzo shouted back. That baby must have lungs of steel if he could scream so loudly for such a long period of time.

"I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure he breast feeds and none of us have breast!" shouted Gojyo.

"Actually, we do! They're just not filled with milk!" corrected Hakkai.

"I'll go see if I can find the desk clerk! Hakkai hold him!" shouted Gojyo as he handed the child to Hakkai. Gojyo ran down the hall to the front desk and was happy to see the desk clerk still there.

"Hello. Is the room to your liking?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just fine. Anyway, can you help us? Ya see, we have a kid, but we don't have any food for him yet and all the shops are closed since it's so late. So, I was wondering if you can breast feed him or somethin'" said Gojyo sheepishly. The desk clerk was flustered and tried to hide the blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"O-or, I can give him some baby formula."

"Oh. That works too." replied Gojyo a little embarrassed that he asked the clerk to breast feed the baby. Usually, he was a lot smoother than that with the ladies.

"Ok. I'll be right back. Stay right here." said the clerk as she jogged down the hall, opposite of the ikkou. She returned ten minutes later with a warm bottle of baby formula.

"Let's go." she said as she ran past Gojyo to his room. When they returned to the room, the child was still screaming and crying.

"What the Hell took you so long!" screamed Sanzo.

"Let me hold him." said the clerk calmly as she took the baby out of Hakkai's arms and feed him the bottle of formula. The child drank greedily from the bottle and finished it rather quickly and after he was done, he didn't cry.

"That should do it. I'll fix up a few more bottles for you guys and write down instructions on how to make the formula after you buy it." said the clerk.

"Thank you, Miss…" said Hakkai.

"Arisu."

"A pretty name for a pretty lady." said Gojyo with his usual grin.

"Thank you," said Arisu with a blush. "I'll go make those bottles now."

Once Arisu left, Hakkai handed the child back to Gojyo.

"Well, that was exhausting." said Gojyo as he rubbed the infants back.

"Indeed. I can't help but wonder how Goku stayed asleep throughout that whole ordeal." said Hakkai.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in Sanzo and Goku's room: "Zzzz…zzzzzzz…my meat buns…get your own, kappa! Zzzzzzz…"<p>

* * *

><p>"If one of you wakes me up again, I'll kill you." said Sanzo as he turned on his heel and left Gojyo and Hakkai's room. Soon after, Arisu came back with three more bottles of formula.<p>

"Here are the bottles and the instructions to make the formula. I also wrote down the brand that I used." she said as she handed them to Gojyo.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

"You're very welcome. He's so cute. Is he yours?"

"Yes, he is." replied Gojyo quickly.

"What's his name?" asked Arisu. Gojyo pondered on what he would call the kid as soon as they arrived at the inn. He thought of a name that he believed suited the infant.

"Akio. Sha Akio." Gojyo said with a smile. Hakkai looked worried at that point. Since Gojyo already claimed the child as his own and named him, that meant he was attached to him and there would be zero chance of him giving the child up. Hakkai knew this wouldn't end well.

"Well, he should go back to sleep in no time, so I'll be going. Goodnight." said Arisu as she left their room.

"Gojyo," Hakkai said sternly. "What were you thinking? We cannot keep him. You know that. Why do you insist on being such a rebel?"

"I can't help it, Hakkai. He needs someone to care for him and I know I can do it."

"Even if we weren't in our current predicament, you're still not responsible enough to care for a child."

"I know I can do this. Remember when I said I had a strange feeling? I know it was Akio somehow telling me that he needs me. That's why I took off runnin'. I can do this, Hakkai."

"But, Gojyo, you're gambling with his life. Don't you see how much danger he will be in if we take him along? Do you even care?"

"I know and I do care, but…I think this was meant to be. I'm going back to bed. I'll deal with Priesty when I wake up. Goodnight." said Gojyo as he climbed into bed, placing Akio on his chest.

"Fine. Goodnight." said Hakkai as he climbed into his bed and tried to go to sleep. He knew things would only get worse.

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><p><strong>AN****:** In Japanese, Akio means "Glorious man", hence the title. Well, that's all for chapter four. I hope you enjoyed reading! Please review!


	5. And It begins

"_**Who needs an alarm clock when you have a screaming baby in your room?" **_thought Gojyo as the baby once again woke up screaming and crying. He looked at the clock beside him. It read 5:47am. Gojyo groaned as he got out of bed.

"Is he hungry again?" asked Hakkai rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I don't know," said Gojyo as he held Akio. "Pass me one of the bottles on the nightstand."

Hakkai gave Gojyo the bottle and Gojyo tried to feed the baby. However, this time, Akio turned his head away from the bottle and continued to cry.

"I don't think he's hungry." said Gojyo.

"What's that smell?" asked Hakkai. They both looked at each other, then looked at the baby.

"Well, since _I_ fed him, it's only fair that _you_ change him." said Gojyo as he held Akio out toward Hakkai.

"If _I _remember correctly, _Gojyo_, Arisu fed him and _you _said he was _your_ baby. So _you _have to do your fatherly duties. Pun intended." replied Hakkai with a grin.

"Damn it." muttered Gojyo as he put the baby back on the bed.

"You shouldn't use that type of language around him. I'll go get Arisu and check if she has any diapers." said Hakkai.

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up."

Hakkai raced to the desk only to see a man in his mid-30's standing there. He was tall and had a very serious expression on his face. Nonetheless, Hakkai walked up to the man with a smile.

"Good morning, sir. I was wondering if you know where I can find a young lady named Arisu." Hakkai asked politely. The man only quirked his eyebrow and had a disapproving look on his face.

"And just _what _do you want with my daughter?"

"Huh? Oh! No, it's nothing like that. She was helping my friends and I with a baby."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well then. Arisu, this young man is looking for you!" his voice boomed down the hall. A very disheveled looking Arisu came out of her room.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Hakkai. What do you need this time?" she asked.

"Well, me and Gojyo-"

"Hakkai!" Gojyo screamed from their room.

"Oh my," said Hakkai as he heard his friend's cry for help. He turned to Arisu. "Do you happen to have any diapers we can use?"

"Sure. I'll go get them." she said as she ran back to her room.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Gojyo was trying to calm the baby down. However, his soothing charm didn't work with Akio. "C'mon, kid. All that screaming can't be good for your lungs and if you don't be quiet soon, you'll wake the old man."<p>

"You better not be talking about me, kappa." said Sanzo as he leaned on the door frame. "That kid probably woke the dead with all that screaming."

"No doubt about that."

"Where's Hakkai, and what is that smell? Don't tell me you forgot to bathe because Hakkai didn't remind you."

"Don't quit your job as a priest because you sure as Hell suck as a comedian. Anyway, Hakkai went to get Arisu, but he's taking so long that I'm starting to believe he's in the middle of a make out session with her!"

"Not all of us think with our lower heads, Gojyo." said Hakkai as he appeared in the doorway with a very red Arisu.

"Umm… I brought some diapers, baby wipes, and baby powder. I can show you how to change diapers if you'd like."

"No, it's quite alright, Arisu. You've already done so much for us already. I'm sure we can manage this amongst ourselves." said Hakkai with a genuine smile that made Arisu blush more than before.

"As you wish. You know where to find me if you need anything else." replied Arisu as she left the room.

"Okay, Hakkai, change him before our ears start to bleed!" said Gojyo, once again holding Akio out to Hakkai.

"You change him! You're the father, remember?"

"Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"

"Of course not!"

"I don't care who changes him! Just make him stop screaming!" Sanzo yelled.

"Fine, I'll do it! Hakkai, pass me a diaper."

Gojyo gently laid the child down and tried to prepare himself for his first diaper changing experience. He opened the diaper and turned a sickly green color as the smell went directly up his nose.

"Oh my God, the smell went down my throat! What the Hell did this kid eat?"

"Who cares? Just clean him up!" Sanzo said angrily.

Gojyo held his breath and removed the soiled diaper, holding the baby's legs up in order to keep his soiled bottom away from the bed sheets.

"Okay, someone get rid of the diaper."

"Why don't _you_ get rid of it, Kappa?"

"Because I'm changing him, you lousy priest! I don't wanna get baby poop on the bed. So the options are; either hold him up while I get rid of it, or you get rid of it."

"Why can't Hakkai do it."

"Oh my, look at the time. I should go and make breakfast." said Hakkai as he quickly ran out of the room.

"Fine. I'll hold his legs up and _you _get rid of the diaper."

"Fine."

Sanzo took hold of the baby's legs, making sure nothing got on the bed. Gojyo quickly found a plastic bag and tossed the diaper inside, tying it tightly and throwing it in the garbage can that was in the bathroom. As he turned to leave the bathroom, he heard Sanzo yell. He ran out of the bathroom to discover that Akio was peeing on Sanzo.

"_**That's my boy."**_ thought Gojyo with a grin on his face.

"If you don't wipe that smile off your face, I'll shoot it off!" screamed Sanzo.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Hakkai tried waking Goku up. It was already 6:23 and they would be heading out soon. He hoped that Gojyo would come to his senses and realize that this isn't the time to bring a child on board.<p>

"Mmm… Mornin', Hakkai. Is breakfast ready?"

"No, Goku, but it'll be ready by the time you shower and pack your things."

"Okay. Ne, Hakkai?"

"Yes, Goku?"

"What are they gonna do with the baby?"

"I really don't know, Goku. Gojyo seems different with the child around. He seems more mature and determined. I think the child would be good for him, but we are in no position to care for and infant right now."

"Yeah, but I kinda liked the idea of being an uncle."

"Me too."

"Actually, I kinda figured you'd be the mommy."

"That doesn't surprise me. Now go get cleaned up and I'll prepare breakfast."

"Yay!" said Goku as he ran to the bathroom and started his shower.

* * *

><p>Back in the room…<p>

"Hold him still so I can get him cleaned off, you good for nothing priest!"

"I am, you lousy kappa!"

"Slide the diaper underneath him!"

Sanzo retrieved the diaper and got the baby powder from the other bed. He slid the diaper under the baby's bottom and powdered him quickly. Gojyo closed the diaper and sighed with relief as the child finally stopped crying.

"That was worse than Kami-Sama's castle of games." said Gojyo as he picked the baby up and held him close.

"Tell me about it. I'm never helping you again." said Sanzo as he left to strip himself of his urinated clothing.

"Wasn't countin' on it."

After Sanzo left, Gojyo gave himself a chance to really look at the baby. He noticed that his eyes were not the same red as his were. They didn't resemble the color of blood. Actually, they were brighter; slightly orange around the pupil and the outer part of the iris. They looked like roaring flames of a wild fire...

_**A/N**_: I know it's been a while since my last update, but I've been working a lot lately. Hopefully, I can post another chapter quicker. Anyway, review!


	6. Up Above and Far Below

_**A/N**_: Okay, fanfic readers, this chapter gets a bit dark. There is mention of Satan himself in this chapter. Actually, he is a major part of this story. However, I want you all to know that I DO NOT in anyway worship the devil or anything of the like. I just wanted to mix things up a little and create a creature of my own and tell you a little bit of Akio's lineage.

* * *

><p>In a place far above Earth, the Merciful Goddess sits on her throne and chuckles at the antics of her favorite source of entertainment, which she is able to see through her lily pond.<p>

"Those boys are heading for trouble." she said, watching Gojyo look into the child's eyes. She saw the flash of confusion pass through the hanyou's eyes. She knew that General Kenren wasn't as dense as everyone thought he was. He doesn't know exactly why the infant's eyes are the color of fire, but he knows that it is unusual that they aren't the color of blood.

"What do you mean, my lady?" asked her always worried assistant, Jiroshin, who moved to stand by her throne.

"I mean they are going to face a great many dangers if they decide to keep him."

"Then they should leave him with someone else?"

"No. If they do that, the world will perish." She said as she saaw the group packing their belongings to head to the next town.

"How is a child capable of such doom?"

"He won't be if he remains in the right hands."

"What would happen if he ended up in the wrong hands?"

"Many enemies will be after him once his true powers are known. They will harvest his magic and use it for their own purposes."

"But… I don't understand. What powers does the child possess? He is merely a half-breed, right?"

"Wrong. He is a lot more than a half-breed."

"If he is not just a half-breed, then what is he?"

"My dear, Jiroshin. If I told you that, it would spoil the surprise." She said as a smirk graced her lips.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a place far below Heaven and Earth, sits Satan himself.<p>

"My grandson will make a fine power source for me and cause more havoc than the others I've placed on Earth." he said to his assistant, Lucielle. She was a tall woman, very plain looking, and hardened features. There was a long line of others that wanted to be Satan's assistant, but he chose her. He wanted a woman in particular; a strong, evil woman. The process to acquire the position was not a pleasant one, but she didn't care. He chose to rape the women that wanted to be his assistant and the first one who showed hatred in her eyes, instead of sadness, would be chosen. He loved to break people of their spirt, but it didn't work on her. So here she was…

"How so? He is only a child." she asked looking into his puddle of demon blood with him. Inside the puddle, she saw a tall hanyou man, staring at the grandchild of Satan. She didn't see anything special about the child at first glance.

"Yes, but he is powerful. He holds more power than all the other weaklings that dare call themselves 'demons' put together!" his voice boomed throughout Hell.

"How could that be?"

"He contains a part of myself and part demon. If my foolish son didn't procreate with a filthy human, my grandson would've been unstoppable!"

"That's very impressive, master, but how did you manage to accomplish all of this."

"Every 523 years, I am able to travel to Earth. It is then when my power is at its strongest. However, I can only stay there for one day. During that time, I mate with strong demon women, who are unwilling. Once my spawn grows to be 18 years of age, their magic grows to its full potential. Then, my child will find a demon to mate with and have my grandchild. When my grandchild is born, they inherit the dark magic when they turn 2 years of age. However, this process will be prolonged due to my son's stupidity."

"How many times have you done this, master?"

"I've only done this once before. I am very proud of the way he turned out. A true demon he was. He would've been great, but as always, the gods like to interfere with my work. My grandson was sealed away for the past 500 years. The God of War, Nataku, took my grandson away from me, but I plan on having him back."

"The great demon, Gyumaoh, was your grandson?" Lucielle said in shock. Gyumaoh was the most infamous demon in all history!

"Yes, that is correct. That time worked perfectly because everything was done out of evil and hate. I raped a strong demon woman and she tried to kill herself. However, my magic doesn't allow such a thing until my child is born. Because she didn't understand why she couldn't die, she went positively insane. Once my child was born, she took him to the woods, sat him beneath a tree, and hung herself from a tree branch right above him. My child feeds off of hate, sorrow, insanity, and destruction, which is why it worked out so well. My son grew up and because he had no parental guidance or any idea from right or wrong, he became barbaric. He had raped many women, but my power grandchild comes from my spawn's first mate. His first victim turned out to be much like his mother; weak, hateful, fearful, and insane. Hence, little Gyumaoh; made of 100% evil. He was perfect. Akio could never replace him. His magic, though immensely powerful, is still no match for Gyumaoh. His powers have been severely dampened due to love and human lineage. The demon I mated with was unwilling, but she cared for the child and raised him to be sickeningly honorable. Then he fell in _love _with _human. _He didn't deserve to live."

"So what are your plans for Akio?"

"I will drain him of every last drop of his dark magic and throw him into my pit of fire when I am done with him. I will use the extra power to travel to Earth once more to make another grandchild and do it right this time. Then I will take a trip to Houtou Castle and free my grandson myself because that slut of his is taking too long. I will bring him here and with our combined power, all Hell will break loose, rise, and the world will be no more…"

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><p><em><strong>AN**_: I know this chapter is short, but bear with me! Review please!


	7. To Keep or Not To Keep

**A/N**: It's been a while, huh? I figured it was time to blow the dust off this fic and start writing again. Sorry it took me so long, but with the mixture of school, work, laziness, writer's block, AND lack of motivation, I couldn't figure out what to write. Anyway, here's another chapter. By the way, thanks for the reviews and follows. You guys are awesome!

* * *

><p>Gojyo stopped looking into Akio's eyes long enough to look at the digital alarm clock again. The red numbers read 6:27am. He knew Sanzo would want to get moving soon to make up for lost time, so he figured he might as well start packing now. He set Akio down on the bed and went into the bathroom to retrieve the child's now dried clothes. He got Akio dressed and started packing his things. After making sure that he packed everything, he took Akio into Sanzo and Goku's room where Goku was gathering his own things.<p>

"Yo, monkey, I need you to watch Akio for a few minutes."

"I'm not a monkey, stupid cockroach. And you named him? Are we gonna keep him?"

"Damn right."

"No, we're not" said Sanzo as he stepped out of the bathroom, now clean. Gojyo ignored the priest and handed Akio off to Goku. "Just watch him," said Gojyo as he left to shower.

* * *

><p>Gojyo used his shower time to think. He didn't know what he could say to Sanzo to make him change his mind about keeping the baby. He knew that it would be dangerous, but he felt drawn to Akio. There was no way he'd tell the others that, though. It's not like they would understand anyway.<p>

Gojyo got out of the shower and checked the time yet again. It was now 6:52am. He grabbed his bags and headed out the door into the lobby.

"Hey, Gojyo!" said Arisu from the front desk. She looked a bit tired and Gojyo began to feel bad about having her to run back and forth to help them with Akio in the middle of the night.

"Hey, Arisu. Thanks again for helping us out last night. You're a real lifesaver."

"No problem. It was very…uhh…interesting helping you guys with him." She said as she reached from behind the counter to ruffle Akio's hair.

"Why do you have all that baby stuff anyway? You have a kid of your own?"

"Goodness, no. I have a little sister and I help my dad take care of her since my mother died."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. So where's his mother?"

"She passed away not too long ago," Gojyo didn't like where this conversation was heading. Especially since everything was so fresh in his mind. It only happened yesterday.

"I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." She said softly. Gojyo nodded his reply.

"Are you guys leaving?"

"Yeah. We never stay in the same place for too long."

"Oh. Well, I hope you guys come back soon."

"Maybe we will. See ya 'round, Arisu."

"Bye, Gojyo."

"By the way, have you seen Hakkai around?"

"Yes, he's in the kitchen. Down that way." She said as she pointed in the direction.

"Thanks, sweetheart," With one last charming smile to Arisu, he turned on his heel and walked to the kitchen.

He found Hakkai bustling about, making breakfast. Gojyo decided he should sit and think about what to say to Hakkai, but he had no idea how to approach the subject. He knew Hakkai was on Sanzo's side about giving up Akio, but he wasn't having it. He couldn't figure out how to tell the others how he felt about Akio other than to tell them that he felt drawn to him. He knew that they would just assume that he feels a bond with the infant because they were both children of taboo, but that wasn't the case. He had some sort of connection with him. It's that connection that told him to run like a bat out of Hell to save him. He knew he was destined to meet Akio, so there was no way he would let the guys talk him into giving him away. By this time, Hakkai had finished cooking, set the table and laid out the food.

"So, Gojyo, are we going to talk about this?" said Hakkai, voice full of concern.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice," replied Gojyo while pulling out a much needed cigarette out of his jacket pocket and lighting it up.

"Gojyo, I know you've taken a liking to Akio, but you know that we can't look after a child right now."

"Hakkai, don't you think it was fate that made me leave the bar early that night and stumble across your bloody body in the middle of the road?"

"Of course, but I don't see-"

"It's the same with Akio. I told you yesterday morning that I felt that something was going to happen. It was all fate, Hakkai; that feeling that told me to wake up earlier than usual and the fact that we almost left but didn't because I left my lighter. These things happened because they were meant to. I know it is."

"Well, I know how you feel, but it isn't exactly up to me. Sanzo-"

"Fuck Sanzo. He may be the leader of this group, but the only thing he's in charge of is the monkey. He has no say in what I do."

"He does if it endangers the mission."

"Whose side are you on?!"

"I'm not taking sides. I just want you to be reasonable."

"Akio isn't going anywhere."

Hakkai just sighed in defeat. It was a new and unwelcome feeling. He never lost an argument with Gojyo, but Gojyo was being extremely stubborn and very determined. Just then, Sanzo, Goku, and Akio were entering the kitchen.

"Finally," Hakkai said, "What took you two so long?" he asked Goku.

"Well, Akio threw up on my shirt, so I had to scrub it out and change. Is he getting sick?" he asked as he took a seat and inspected the baby on his lap.

"He's fine. If you hadn't been bouncing the kid on your lap like a maniac, he wouldn't have puked." said Sanzo as he read the newspaper.

It was not lost on Hakkai how Sanzo referred to Akio as "the kid". He's trying to remain detached from the child because he knows they won't have him for long.

"'The kid' has a name, asshole. Use it and get used to it." growled Gojyo. Apparently he caught on to Sanzo's words too.

"You'd better watch your mouth before I put a bullet in it, bastard."

"Hey, guys, you shouldn't swear in front of the baby." Goku said softly. It was as if he didn't want to say it too loudly or their anger would be directed toward him.

"Goku is right. Please refrain from using any further obscenities in front of him. We will discuss this further later." Hakkai hoped that the peace would hold until then. He didn't know how things would play out. Both Sanzo and Gojyo are the most stubborn people he knew. The debate was a toss up.

"Hurry the fuck up we're behind schedule," said Sanzo through gritted teeth and with that, he got up from his chair and stormed out of the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Once again, it was a quiet ride in the jeep. The tension was thick in the air between Gojyo and Sanzo and no one dared to speak. Hakkai continued to drive while Sanzo sat chain-smoking in the passenger side. With a glare at Sanzo, Gojyo covered Akio to make sure he didn't get second-hand smoke. Gojyo was pissed off and on edge. He hadn't had a cigarette since breakfast and it was killing him, but he wasn't going to smoke around Akio. Goku was bored and hungry, but was too afraid to complain about it. Instead, he opted for a safer topic.<p>

"Hakkai, when will we get to the next town?"

"Why? Are you hungry, Goku?"

"Ye-…umm…no. I just wanted to get out of Jeep and stretch my legs," Goku lied. Better safe than sorry.

"Luckily, there's a town not far from the one we left. We'll reach it by nightfall."

That was the best news Goku heard all day. It sucked that he would have to go a while without food, but it could've been worse. Sure enough, they came to a stop at a small town. It was smaller than the last, but a town no less and everyone was grateful for it. They drove a little further into town and found an inn. Hakuryuu transformed back into a dragon and they all walked in.

"Hello," said Hakkai to the old man behind the counter, "we would like four singles please."

"Sure, young man. Please sign in here," replied the man as he pushed the clipboard toward Hakkai. After signing in their aliases, they each took their keys and headed toward their rooms. Gojyo couldn't be more relieved to have some peace and quiet to think. Every moment since he found Akio has been nothing but a pain in the ass. Between Sanzo wanting to leave Akio behind and Hakkai backing Sanzo up on that decision, he felt he was going to lose it. He decided to calm his nerves by just holding Akio. The little guy wasn't half bad when he wasn't screaming. He remembered that he had to feed Akio before he got cranky and took the bottle of formula out of his pack. After a few minutes of greedily sucking down his formula, Akio was fast asleep. Gojyo realized that he desperately wanted a drink. He carefully scooped up Akio in his arms and softly knocked on Goku's door.

"Yo, Goku, you still up?"

"Yeah, come in."

"Hey, I wanted to ask you to watch Akio for a little while."

"You're not leaving again, are you?"

"No, not this time. I just really, REALLY needed a drink and I saw a bar not too far away. I just need to clear my head for a while. So, can you watch him?"

"Yeah, sure," Goku whispered as he gently took Akio out of Gojyo's grasp.

"Thanks, monkey."

"No problem, water-sprite."

* * *

><p>Gojyo all but ran to the nearest bar he could find. It was dark and smelled faintly of vomit, but it sold booze and that was good enough for him. He walked toward the bar only to notice a familiar blond figure already there.<p>

"_Damn. I came here to get away from my problem and here he is…", _thought Gojyo as he walked toward the bar anyway.

"Hey, barkeep, lemme get a Whisky on the rocks," said Gojyo once he reached the bar. As the "Merciful" Goddess would have it, the only free barstool was the one next to Sanzo. Gojyo sat down as the burly barkeep handed him the drink. Sanzo didn't say anything when he saw Gojyo. It was easier to just pretend that he wasn't there. However, they never got to fully discuss the matter at hand and there was no Hakkai or Goku to interrupt.

"We aren't taking the kid with us," Sanzo stated without looking up from his drink.

"Yeah, we are," replied Gojyo, eyes on his drink as well.

"Tell me how an orphan could possibly know how to care for a child?"

"Fuck off, Sanzo! You had no qualms about bringing Goku along and he was a kid when we first started out!"

"He wasn't an infant! Goku was a kid, but he was always a fighter. I never had to look after him during battle. So, what are you going to do once the assassins attack?" Sanzo yelled. Gojyo never thought about that. He had been so worried about keeping the baby in the first place that he didn't think about Kougajii or his assassins.

"Look," said Sanzo after it became clear that Gojyo wasn't going to reply, "you can take him along with us, but I want you to know that the kid is _your _responsibility. I will not have his blood on my hands." Without another word, Sanzo stood, paid his tab, and left the bar.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** I'll try to make chapter eight a bit more action packed. I'm kind of just making it up as I go, so please don't kill me. Anyway, hopefully it won't be another year until the next update. Until then, I bid you all farewell. Oh, and by the way, please review!


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